There's a change in the lineup for the 2013 Live @ Peck Pavilion series. The Marcus Center's outdoor concerts kick off in July but will now feature The Spirit Family Reunion on August 20.

Visitors will also want to take note of the newly updated grounds during the Tuesday night performance series. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and the season runs July 23 through August 27. | May 10, 2013»Read Full Article

Jay Leno steps down from his role as host of "The Tonight Show" on Thursday, a position he has held almost continuously since 1992. He has more than 4,600 shows under his belt — that's a lot of monologue jokes. Bill Clinton was one of the biggest target of those jokes. As far as politicians go, anyway. For celebrities, it was O.J. Simpson.

Those findings were reported Tuesday in a study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. Yes, those people sifted through 43,892 jokes told by Leno on "The Tonight Show" between May 25, 1992, and Jan. 24, 2014, and tallied them up. | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Article(1)

As early as the 1950s, the Milwaukee Art Museum was before its time in recognizing the value of art considered outsider, visionary, folk or self-taught. Over the years it amassed one of the most extensive collections of its kind. "Uncommon Folk: Traditions in American Art" is the payoff: an impressive display of that foresight, one worth celebrating.

And "celebrate" is about right. The show packs the museum's feature exhibition space with almost 600 objects, and the organizers can't hide their affection for this astonishing number of items. From walking stick to whirligig, watercolor to wood carving, these objects are presented with obvious pleasure, and often with a joyful wink. | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Article(269)

"The guitar player, Rick Nielsen, started to play the 'Freebird' lick," Xeno said. "I said, 'That's a cheap trick,' and he said, 'Hey, that's a great name for a band.'" | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Article

When watching Caroline Bowman in the solid if sometimes stolid touring production of "Evita" — in town this week at the Marcus Center — the first thing you'll notice are her eyes.

Much like the legendary Evita Perón, Bowman's Eva smiles a lot but her eyes never do. They're the cold, restlessly calculating eyes of a hungry and never-satisfied shark, perpetually on the prowl for its next meal — whether that be another man who can further her rise to power or the country she'll devour once she arrives. | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Article(3)

John Updike tapped his post-Harvard year in London studying art for the background of "Still Life," published in January 1959 in The New Yorker. He sets a comic tone with the opening sentence: | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Blog Post

It seems like a big number, 44. Spring is out there, sure. But it's way beyond that frozen horizon line for now.

The days-until-daffodils reality we're living in is enough to induce denial. We recommend burrowing in and hunkering down with arts and books editor Jim Higgins, who will be exploring one of John Updike's art-inspired short stories today. Read his musings on Updike's "Still Life" at 8 a.m. (and every Wednesday at that time). | Feb. 5, 2014»Read Full Blog Post